How to Budget For The 2025 Golf Season

There is a perception among non-golfers that our sport is expensive. Unsurprisingly, those of us who play the game are quick to reject such claims.

On the face of it, golfers need not break the bank. But with a new year ahead it got me thinking about how much a full season is actually going to cost the average club player.

So here goes. Please bear in mind that this is not scientific and figures are clearly going to vary but you may be in for a nasty surprise.

Equipment

Many of us will decide that a new season is the ideal time to change our clubs. How much is that going to cost? How long is a piece of string?

It is fair to say that if you are in the market for a decent set of woods and irons then you are going to have to be prepared to fork out at least £2,000 - and possibly an awful lot more than that. With a bit of luck, you may get around £500 if you trade in your existing set.

So that is £1,500.

Membership Fees

Obviously these vary hugely. Much will depend upon where you live and whether you have five-day or full membership. But it is fair to say that not many of us are going to get any change out of £1,000. And if you opt to pay monthly, which the vast majority of us do, the interest you pay will clearly increase that sum.

So, for the sake of argument, let’s agree that most of us will be paying around £1,100 per year.

Golf Balls

This is another imponderable and will vary hugely from golfer to golfer. Most of us like to play with decent golf balls. Even if you shop around, 12 Titleist Pro V1s are going to cost you around £40. The majority of us will probably opt for balls that cost around £20-25 per dozen. How many rounds do you play? How many balls do you lose on average during each round? How often do you put down a new golf ball?

I play at least two rounds of golf a week. Often it is more than that, but for the purposes of this article I am going to stick with two rounds. I play all year round so, in theory, that means I am going to play 104 rounds. Even with cancellations due to weather, that figure feels about right to me.

I will never use a ball for more than one round, so that means I use 104 new balls. On average, I lose one ball every other round, so that takes the figure up to 156. That is 13 dozen golf balls and they are going to cost me around £325 a year. Blimey, when you see these figures in black and white they can be pretty scary. 

And there is more…

Food & Drink

I almost always play in a fourball and at the end of every round there are drinks to be bought. At a conservative estimate, I spend £10-12 a time. Even without buying any food, that totals a minimum of £1,040.

Team Matches

I will be senior vice-captain at my golf club in 2025. One of the key parts of this role is that I will be expected to play in all 20 of our team matches - 10 at home, 10 away. These cost a minimum of £15 a pop and during home matches we are expected to buy drinks for our opponents. That is another £400.

Fuel

I live 10 minutes from my golf club so use very little fuel to get to the course but there will be 10 away matches, various away days, open days, at least one society break which is already on the calendar and golf weekends over the course of 2025. I reckon that, at a conservative estimate, I am going to be spending at least £500 getting to and from golf courses.

Green Fees

During 2025 I already have four courses in the diary that will cost me at least £200, and that’s without taking into account anything I will spend on food and drink. So let’s say at least £300.

Society Breaks

I have one society break in the diary. It is costing £170, which covers bed, breakfast, evening meal and two rounds of golf. This will involve an overnight stay with a group of lads who enjoy a drink and that means it is going to set me back at least £200, and probably more. Definitely more.

How Much Could a Golf Season Cost You?

I have just got the calculator out - and it is frightening. Adding all of the above together comes to the princely sum of £5,365. I will not be changing my clubs so I can take £1,500 off, which brings it down to £3,865. But I plan to change my putter and buy a decent GPS device. I reckon that is going to set me back another £500. And that means my golf in 2025 is going to cost me, wait for it, £4,365. That equates to more than £80 a week. Gulp!

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